1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for dispensing paint colorant and, more particularly, to such apparatus which is suitable for an automated operation.
2. Description of Related Art
To avoid having to separately inventory different color paints, many paint retailers use a common paint base that is manually tinted with a colorant on a per-order basis. It is known to provide a turntable supporting a plurality of containers holding colorant which is stored therein in liquid form. Metering structure is provided to dispense measured amounts of colorant from the containers into the paint base.
A merchandiser of paint materials may find it convenient to limit the major portion of paint inventory to a paint base material, which can be tinted or otherwise colored to produce a wide variety of colored paint materials. Thus, a merchandiser need not estimate beforehand the quantity of a given color paint that should be maintained in stock. While the above-mentioned colorant dispensing apparatus can be relied upon to accurately meter even small amounts of colorants required for a given paint formulation, the colorant materials are frequently discharged through a downwardly extending conduit or nozzle which extends below a shut-off valve. Such nozzles have been observed to become clogged with colorant materials which thereafter harden, upon drying.